River Safari

The hubby brought me to the River Safari today. It's our first time here since the place opened early this year. The key characters in this attraction are the two Pandas, Kai Kai and Jia Jia.

River Safari is the newest addition to Wildlife Reserves Singapore’s portfolio of award-winning parks. Nestled between Singapore’s two award-winning wildlife parks – Singapore Zoo and Night Safari – River Safari offers an unforgettable adventure inspired by the world’s most iconic rivers. This $160-million attraction features state-of-the-art exhibit design, Southeast Asia's largest panda exhibit as well as the world's largest freshwater aquarium. Housing one of the world’s largest collections of freshwater fauna, the park features over 5,000 animals including 42 endangered species. And that includes Singapore’s resident giant pandas, Kai Kai and Jia Jia.

Take a leisurely stroll and meander through the park on an exploratory river adventure of the Mississippi, Congo, Nile, Ganges, Murray, Mekong and Yangtze rivers. With the pristine Upper Seletar Reservoir as a backdrop, River Safari is also home to the Giant Panda Forest, Squirrel Monkey Forest and the enchanting Amazon Flooded Forest.

River Safari opens at 9 in the morning, and we were there a little after 9. Although we were there on a Friday, a working day, but we still wish to go earlier to avoid crowds, so that we can enjoy ourselves more.

And our journey starts...

Can you spot the crocodile? It's SO HUGE. Scary.

Big fishes swimming in the tank.

Panda Observatory. Here's the Red Panda. So fluffy cute. Like a soft toy. There are two Red Pandas. One of them is sleeping very soundly and did not move at all.

The red panda or lesser panda is said to be the original panda, having been discovered about 50 years before its giant counterpart. Also known as the firefox due to its bright rust-coloured furry coat and fox-like face, the red panda is slightly larger than size of a domestic cat. it shares some similar traits with the giant panda as both feed predominantly on bamboo and have extra "thumbs" to hold their food.

And here's Kai Kai. He's so cute. I have got the urge to want to hug him.

The upper region of the Yangtze River is where the elusive giant panda calls home. One of the world’s most adored and protected rare animals, this peaceful creature is considered a national treasure in China. With only 1,600 giant pandas left in the wild, it has become the world’s most recognised symbol for wildlife protection and conservation.

Kai Kai is chomping on the bamboo shoots.

Can you see his tongue?

More chomping...

And he decided he needs a nap. Yawns...

And snooze..

Snooze......

Jia Jia is no where to be found. I walked back and forth and back, but she is just too shy.

She's not even seen in the CCTV in her den.

We had a little snack at the Mama Panda Kitchen.

At one corner, the chairs are so cute. All pandas.

And to get into the Panda theme, we ordered two Panda buns, one Red Bean and the other Chocolate Custard. The soft drink comes with a souvenir cup. All pandas. To be honest, I was like a kid, being all excited with all the pandas.

 

After the snack, we continued with the journey. The boat ride down the river was under maintenance. So we missed the ride and all the other animal attractions that are part of the boat ride.

We saw squirrel monkeys next. The monkeys are free to roam around in their enclosure. We are very very close to them.

Among all primates, the squirrel monkey has the heaviest brain in proportion to body mass and having a large brain, makes them an intelligent animal.

Red-Bellied Piranha. A real Piranha. But after reading the description off the board, they are not as scary as those movies make them to be.
Despite a blood-thirsty reputation, the piranha usually consumes dead or weakened animals. It acts as a scavenger and keeps rivers clean. When food is scarce, it may resort to cannibalism.

Manatee 海牛. Manatees are more closely related to elephants. Like elephants, they can live up to 70 years. The Ammazonian manatee is the smallest of the manatees. It weighs up to 480kg and lives only in freshwater. West Indian and West African manatees can be found in marine and freshwater habitats. Large individuals can weigh over 1000 kg.

I love these manatees. They are really really huge. My photos give no justice to the scale of their size. Even though the manatees are huge and can flatten me if they decided to land on me, they seem to be a very gentle specie. Maybe is my own imagination, but the manatees seem to always swim near to me. Heehee...

The hyper active pair of Giant River Otters. Carmen and Carlos.
Hunted for years for its velvety fur and almost driven to extinction, the world’s largest otter, that can grow up to 1.8 metres long, finds refuge within the flooded forests where it can feel safe. Here for the very first time in Asia, observe these beautiful amphibious creatures via a viewing tunnel that runs through their underwater exhibit.  Appreciate its gracefulness as it swims or watch them basking lazily on fallen tree trunks above the surface of the Amazon Flooded Forest.

Sad that we were unable to take the boat ride, and missed out on seeing alot of animals.

As we were going out to take the bus back, we saw the mascot for Kai Kai and Jia Jia. So happy. Managed to take a photo with them.

The River is Calling...

River Safari
http://www.riversafari.com.sg/
80 Mandai Lake Road
Singapore 729826